Failures led to Middlesbrough toddler's cocaine hospitalisation

Authorities showed a lack of professional curiosity in the case of two-year-old Liam, a review has found

A string of failures led to a toddler being taken to hospital with cocaine in his system, a review has found.

Middlesbrough Council, Cleveland Police and the NHS were all criticised over the case of a two-year-old boy, known only as Liam, in 2020.

A child safeguarding practice review found the boy's parents' drug use and domestic violence were not taken seriously enough.

The authorities said lessons had been learned and changes made.

In May 2020, the boy called Liam by the review to protect his real identity, was taken to Middlesbrough's James Cook University Hospital after becoming "floppy and unresponsive", with the family claiming he had fallen from a ladder.

Hospital staff suspected he had had a seizure or ingested drugs, with tests revealing numerous substances in his system including cocaine, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

The review said: "Whilst it is possible that this was accidentally ingested by Liam, the possibility of cocaine administration cannot be completely ruled out."

'Not safe'

Liam was already subject to a child protection plan from Middlesbrough Council's social workers and was taken into the authority's care after being discharged from hospital.

The family had been well-known to multiple agencies since 2005, with concerns raised over domestic abuse, parental mental health, neglect, substance misuse, offending and criminal exploitation.

The review said: "Liam was not always safe and secure and this would undoubtedly have had an impact on his emotional and physical wellbeing and development."

The review found a list of failures including:

• Liam had limited contact with his GP despite having a medical condition

• Limited analysis of the relationship between Liam and his parents, with no record of what home was like for him

• Missed opportunities to provide domestic abuse support to Liam's mother, who had attended A&E with injuries four times since 2018

• Police received 57 calls about the family suggesting a "level of chaos and danger within the family home", but they treated incidents in isolation showing a "lack of professional curiosity"

• Social workers suggested a full investigation be carried out in May 2018 but there were five further referrals about the family before such an inquiry took place

The South Tees Safeguarding Children Partnership, which is a "multi-agency partnership" including the council, police and local health services, said a number of "learning points" had been identified.

Edwina Harrison, independent chair of the partnership, said: "Safeguarding is never straightforward and Liam's case was particularly complex, with multiple challenges.

"We can never be complacent when it comes to helping those most in need.

"It is essential that changes take place as a matter of urgency and that we can be confident that we have better care and support for vulnerable children and their families."